Recipes --

-- by which is meant the things you should do to increase the rationality, quality and/or hygiene of your life:

1. Never pet a stray cat with a wet tail.

2. If you shave your head, be sure to shave your back too.

3. Eat properly.

Okay, maybe those first two aren't all that universally practical. But eating properly is a "GOOD IDEA". Eat good meals. By "meals", we mean meals of excellent nutrition. Not just food -- nutrition. Anything you can eat -- that is, anything you can fit into your mouth might be called food. Yuck. By meals, we also mean meals of an appropriate quantity. Never eat more than you can carry. Never swallow anything bigger than your head.

An excellent breakfast is a berry smoothie. Very easy, and superb nutrition.  A pre-mixed frozen pound of  blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries ... cherries; if fat-loss is the goal, NOT mango, pineapple, kiwi, banana, sweet, tropical.  Blend it with however much water will give the consistency you prefer; NOT any other beverage, milk or juice (soy, almond, rice, apple, pomegranate...). Add protein powder, not more than 30 grams if it's for a single mean -- NOT whey unless weight GAIN is the point.  Some flax seed oil or Omega-3 fish oil, 2 or 3 tablespoons (NOT the pills -- liquid).  Those are the four major ingredients: mixed berries, protein, good fat, water.  Extras for nutritional benefit such as cinnamon, goji, probiotics, etc.

The ORAC value is off the charts (google "orac antioxidant"). Amazingly low in calories -- the oils bring it up, but they are essential. Flax seed oil is a precursor to the Omega-3 EFAs (google "efa epa dha", or just look at Wikipedia).  There are satiation receptors in the brain that monitor for fats -- they help you figure out you're not hungry.

Another meal, as often as you like, is a simple vegetable stew/stirfry/steam. Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, mixed peppers, green beans and string beans and carrotscorn and peas and whatever else catches your eye -- fibrous vegetables. Bring to a boil etc, chop in tomato, etc, and some protein to taste.

Pretty boring and not so flavorful. Add seasonings -- apple cider vinegar, a splash of extra-virgin olive oil, turmeric (anti-inflammatory), cayenne pepper (good for you ... hot), cinnamon (weirdly, it increases your insulin receptivity -- good), basil, oregano, parsley, any other herbs or spices that catch your eye, and something called Bragg Liquid Aminos -- very savory.

There's the hunger of an empty belly, which isn't hunger at all.  There's the hunger from an energy-depleted bloodsteam, no matter how much you eat, because of an insulin imbalance -- we'll look at that some other time. Then there's the hunger from not getting enough nutrients -- biochems that your body needs to build and repair itself. The standard American diet -- SAD -- is really good at causing high-calorie malnutrition. Empty calories.

Calories, from a responsible perspective, are not the defining characteristic of food. Nutrients. It's the difference between eating, say, sugar (all digestible carbs break down into glucose) on the one hand,  and on the other, (complex) veggies and fruits and berries, beans, nuts, etc.  One will, eventually, make you sick and kill you. Literally. The other can bring optimal health -- phytonutrients. Empty calories, opposed to nutrient-dense calories.

There are plenty of easy-to-read books on intelligent nutrition. SuperFoods Rx. Not moonbeam, not vegetarian. "How Not to Die." You don't have to be vegetarian. The point is, health is not magic. We build it, out of nutrients, and exercise and lifestyle. Health has to do with prudence. Food can kill OR sustain you. Be moderate, which means reasonable and responsible.  When you notice results, it becomes easier. Then it becomes the only way to be.

Exercise.

Diet is on you. It's like solitaire. You can cheat. Well ... go ahead. But play fair, too, most of the time. These are the compromises we make -- it seems like a good thing to make as  few as possible.

4. Never reply to an email from an exiled Nigerian bank president.

5. Be excellent.


FW